Rear fender assembly

ABSTRACT

A rear fender assembly for a vehicle is provided. The rear fender assembly has an outer fender having an inner surface, an inner fender having an outer surface connected with the inner surface of the outer fender, and an upper bracket sandwiched between the inner surface of the outer fender and the outer surface of the inner fender. The upper bracket has an outer surface connected with the inner surface of the outer fender. The upper bracket forms an upper protrusion which extends from the outer surface of the upper bracket through a first opening defined by the outer fender.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a rear fender assembly for a vehicle,and more particularly a rear fender assembly having a rigid structurefor a motorcycle.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present invention, a rear fender assemblyfor a vehicle is provided. The rear fender assembly has an outer fenderhaving an inner surface, an inner fender having an outer surfaceconnected with the inner surface of the outer fender, and an upperbracket sandwiched between the inner surface of the outer fender and theouter surface of the inner fender. The upper bracket has an outersurface connected with the inner surface of the outer fender. The upperbracket forms an upper protrusion which extends from the outer surfaceof the upper bracket through a first opening defined by the outerfender.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of motorcycle, in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a rear fender assembly for the vehicle ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the rear fender assembly of FIG.2.

FIG. 4 is a second bottom perspective view of the rear fender assemblyof FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear fender assembly ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a third bottom perspective view of the rear fender assembly ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a first perspective view of the rear fender assembly attachedto a swing arm assembly of the vehicle.

FIG. 8 is a second perspective view of the rear fender assembly attachedto the swing arm assembly.

FIG. 9 is a third perspective view of the rear fender assembly attachedto the swing arm assembly.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the swing arm assembly connected with abelt guard assembly.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the belt guard assembly of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the belt guard assembly.

FIGS. 13A and B are opposing perspective view of the belt guardassembly.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the belt guard assembly and the rear fenderassembly of FIGS. 2 and 10.

FIG. 15 is a cross-section view of a fender assembly according toanother embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of an alignment fixture used in theassembly of the rear fender assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged rear perspective view of the alignment fixture ofFIG. 16.

It should be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity ofillustration, elements shown in the Figures have not necessarily beendrawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements may beexaggerated relative to each other for clarity. Further, whereconsidered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among theFigures to indicate corresponding elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Shown FIGS. 1-6 is a rear fender assembly 150 for a motorcycle 100. Therear fender assembly 150 covers at least a portion of a rear wheel 108of the motorcycle 100, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The rear fenderassembly 150 is shaped and formed around at least a portion of exposedtire 109 of the rear wheel 108.

As shown in FIGS. 2-6, the rear fender assembly 150 includes an outerfender 152, an inner fender 170 connected with the outer fender 152, andupper left, upper right, and lower brackets 200, 206, 220 sandwichedbetween the outer fender 152 and the inner fender 170. The outer fender152 has a generally U-shaped cross-section which curves around andcovers at least a portion of right and left tire walls 133,134 of theexposed tire 109, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Preferably the U-shapedcross-section is tightly matched to the shape and contour of the tire109 so that the outer fender 152 is no more than between 1 to 5 cm awayfrom the tire 109 and preferably no more than 1 to 3 cm from the tire109. Preferably, the outer fender 152 is manufactured from a metal, suchas steel, iron, stainless steel, chrome, nickel, aluminum, titanium, ora compound of metals. The outer fender 152 is preferably formed bystamping out, bending and curving metal sheets.

The outer fender 152 forms a right side ridge 166 along the right tirewall 133 of the outer fender 152 and a left side ridge 164 along a leftside of the outer fender 152 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The right andleft side ridges 166,164 are arc-shaped and help to add rigidity to thestructure of the outer fender 152. The outer fender 152 includes anouter surface 154 opposed to an inner surface 156, as shown in FIGS. 2and 3. Preferably the outer surface 154 is polished to a shine finish orcoated with chrome or paint so as to enhance the appearance of the outerfender 152.

When forming the outer fender 152, openings 158 and 160 are formed inthe outer fender 152, as shown in FIG. 2, to allow for protrusions 202,208 of the upper left and upper right brackets 200, 206 to projectthrough, as shown in FIG. 2. Additionally, a lower U-shaped opening orslot 162 is formed along a bottom end of the outer fender 152 forallowing a U-shaped protrusion 222 of the lower bracket 220 to projectthrough.

As shown in FIG. 2, a top edge 155 of the outer fender 152 follows anarc of a circle which measures at least 120 degrees and preferablybetween 100 and 180 degrees. In the illustrated embodiment, the arcmeasures approximately 180 degrees. In this manner the rear fenderassembly 150 curves around and generally hugs a significant portion ofthe rear wheel 108 and the tire 109, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

The inner fender 170 also has a generally U-shaped cross-section whichcurves around and covers at least a portion of right and left tire walls133,134 of the exposed tire 109, and is designed to allow the innerfender 170 to mate with the outer fender 152. Preferably, the innerfender 170 is manufactured from a metal, such as steel, iron, stainlesssteel, chrome, nickel, aluminum, titanium, or a compound of metals. Theinner fender 170 is preferably formed by stamping out, bending andcurving metal sheets.

The inner fender 170 also forms right and left side ridges 173, 175 tomate with the right and left side ridges 166, 164 of the outer fender152. The right and left side ridges 173, 175 help to add additionalrigidity to the structure of the inner fender 170. The inner fender 170includes an outer surface 172 opposed to an inner surface 174, as shownin FIGS. 2 and 3. The outer surface 172 mates with and is connected tothe inner surface 156 of the outer fender. In the illustratedembodiment, the outer surface 172 is connected with and bonded to theinner surface 156 using a heat-cured adhesive, however the outer surface172 may be connected with the inner surface 156 in one of a number ofways, such as by using: mechanical fasteners such as screws, bolts,rivets, and solder; chemical fasteners or other types of glue or epoxy;or by welding.

The inner fender 170 forms a large opening 176 at a top side 177 of theinner fender 170, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The opening 176 is formedto reduce the amount of material required to manufacture the innerfender 170 which in turn reduces the overall weight of the rear fenderassembly 150. The opening 176 may be formed by stamping out a section ofmetal from the inner fender 170. A series of stiffening protrusions 188,189, 182, 184 are formed or stamped into the inner fender 170 to provideincreased structural rigidity for the inner fender 170. The stiffeningprotrusions 188, 189, 182, 184 protrude a distance D₁ of approximatelybetween 2 and 15 mm from the outer surface 172. The stiffeningprotrusions 188, 189, 182, 184 also form a transition ramp 178 and awiring routing surface 180 between the inner fender 170 and the outerfender 152. The transition ramp 178 and the wiring routing surface 180allow for a smooth wiring routing path 193 for routing wires (not shown)on the inner surface 174 from a bottom end 191 of the inner fender 172to the inner surface 156 of the outer fender 152, as shown in FIG. 3.

The transition ramp 178 is formed between the pair of stiffeningprotrusions 182, 184. A first end 194 of the transition ramp 178 isformed along an edge of the opening 176 at a first distance from theinner surface 156 of the outer fender 152. A second end 195 of thetransition ramp 178 is formed away from the edge of the opening 176 at asecond distance from the inner surface 156 of the outer fender 152. Thefirst distance is less than the second distance. In some embodiments,the first distance is less than 2 mm, and in other embodiments the firstend 194 contacts the inner surface 156. In other constructions of theinner fender 170, such as the one illustrated in FIG. 15, the ramp 178is eliminated and an aperture 169 is disposed in the same generallocation. The aperture 169 serves as an exit point for the wires 199.The outer fender 152 can include an aperture 179 serving as an entrancepoint for the wires 199 located in the wire path 193. A grommet 187lines the aperture to cushion the wires 199 entering the wire path 193and a detent 192 is formed on the inner fender 170 to allow clearancefor the wires 199 to enter the wire path 193.

The upper brackets 200, 206 are sandwiched between the outer fender 152and the inner fender 170. The upper brackets 200, 206 can bemanufactured from a metal, such as steel, iron, stainless steel, chrome,nickel, aluminum, titanium, or a compound of metals. A bottom surface205, 207 of each upper bracket 200, 206 is fixedly connected with theouter surface 172 of the inner fender 170 and a top surface 201, 203 ofeach upper bracket 200, 206 is fixedly connected with the inner surface156 of the outer fender 152. The upper brackets 200, 206 are connectedwith and bonded to both the outer surface 172 and the inner surface 156using a heat-cured adhesive. However, the upper brackets 200, 206 can beconnected with the outer surface 172 and the inner surface 156 in one ofa number of ways, such as by using: mechanical fasteners such as screws,bolts, rivets, and solder; chemical fasteners or other types of glue orepoxy; or by welding.

The upper brackets 200, 206 form protrusions 202, 208 that extendthrough openings 160, 158, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Eachprotrusion 202, 208 is fixedly connected with a corresponding protrusion136, 137 formed on the swing arm assembly 110 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).Preferably, each protrusion 202, 208 forms an opening 204, 210,respectively, for receiving a fastener 126, 124 which is also placedthrough respective openings formed in the protrusion 136, 137. Thefasteners 126, 124 preferably are mechanical fasteners such as screws,bolts, rivets, and solder. Each protrusion 202, 208 has a front surface213, 214 that intersects the respective top surface 201, 203 of eachprotrusion 202, 208 at respective angles Δ, β, as shown in FIG. 5.Angles Δ, β are formed between the intersection of the front surface213, 214 and the top surface 201, 203 and between a line which isgenerally perpendicular to the top edge 155, as shown in FIG. 5.Preferably, angles Δ, β are between 5 and 80 degrees, and morepreferably between 10 and 40 degrees.

The lower bracket 220 is sandwiched between the outer fender 152 and theinner fender 170. The lower bracket 220 can be manufactured from ametal, such as steel, iron, stainless steel, chrome, nickel, aluminum,titanium, or a compound of metals. A bottom surface 223 of the lowerbracket 220 is fixedly connected with the outer surface 172 of the innerfender 170 and a top surface 221 of the lower bracket 220 is fixedlyconnected with the inner surface 156 of the outer fender 152. The lowerbracket 220 is connected with and bonded to both the outer surface 172and the inner surface 156 using a heat-cured adhesive. However, thelower bracket 220 can be connected with the outer surface 172 and theinner surface 156 in one of a number of ways, such as by using:mechanical fasteners such as screws, bolts, rivets, and solder; chemicalfasteners or other types of glue or epoxy; or by welding.

The lower bracket 220 forms a U-shaped protrusion 222 that extendsthrough the lower slot 162 formed in the outer fender 152, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 5. The U-shaped protrusion 222 is fixedly connected withcorresponding protrusions 139, 140 formed on the swing arm assembly 110(see FIGS. 9 and 10). Preferably, the U-shaped protrusion 222 forms twoopening 224, 226, respectively, for receiving fasteners (not shown)which are also placed through respective openings formed in theprotrusions 139, 140. The fasteners preferably are mechanical fastenerssuch as screws, bolts, rivets, and solder.

The upper brackets 200, 206 extend through the openings 160, 158 in afirst direction along a first line 242, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, andthe lower bracket extends through the lower slot 162 in a seconddirection along a second line 241. Preferably, the angle α between thefirst and second lines 242, 241 (defined by the faces 224, 226 and faces213, 214) is between 80 and 100 degrees, and more preferably about 90degrees.

As described above, both the upper protrusions 202, 208 and the lowerprotrusion 222 are coupled to the swing arm assembly 110. The swing armassembly 110 is fixedly rotatably connected with the rear wheel 108 andincludes a left v-shaped support bracket 114 which is connected with aright v-shaped support bracket 116 through a lower bracket 118 and anupper bracket 117. Both v-shaped support brackets 114, 116 are connectedwith the rear wheel 108 through respective wheel mounts 130, 128. Eachwheel mount 130,128 forms an opening through which a fastener (notshown) is placed through and fastens the wheel mount 130,128 to the rearwheel 108. Preferably, the v-shaped support brackets 114, 116 are oftubular construction and formed from a metal, such as steel, iron,stainless steel, chrome, nickel, aluminum, titanium, or a compound ofmetals. The lower bracket 118 is connected with the upper bracket 117through a pair of side members 120, 122 each of which is connected to arespective end of the upper and lower brackets 117, 118, as shown inFIG. 9. The side members 120, 122 provide additional rigidity andsupport to the overall swing arm assembly 110. Each side member 120, 122forms an opening 143, 144 through which a fastener (not shown) is placedthrough for fastening the swing arm assembly 110 to the frame of themotorcycle 100. The swing arm assembly 110 is movably connected to theframe of the motorcycle 100 through a set of shocks (not shown) whichdampen the motion of the swing arm assembly 110.

The rear fender assembly 150 is assembled as follows. First, the outerfender 152 is stamped from a sheet of metal, as shown in FIG. 2. Uponpressing the outer fender 152, openings 158, 160 are formed in the outerfender 152. The openings 158, 160 may be formed concurrently when theouter fender 152 is stamped from the sheet of metal. The inner fender170 is also formed by stamping from a sheet of metal, as shown in FIG.2. Upon pressing the inner fender 170, opening 176 is formed in theinner fender 170. The opening 176 may be formed concurrently when theinner fender 170 is stamped from the sheet of metal. Upon forming theouter and inner fenders 152, 170, the upper brackets 200, 206 and thelower bracket 220 are formed, preferably, by die casting.

An alignment fixture 300 as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 is used to assemblethe rear fender assembly 150. The outer fender 152 is placed upside downinto the fixture 300 such that the outer surface 154 contacts guidemembers 302, 304 of the fixture 300. Once properly seated against theguide members 302, 304, the inner surface 156 is coated with the bondingagent and the upper brackets 200, 206 are positioned through apertures158, 160 such that the protrusions 202 and 208 are exposed on the bottomside of the outer fender 152. Also, the lower bracket 220 is positionedthrough the aperture 162 such that the protrusions 222 are exposedoutside of the outer fender 152. After the brackets 200, 206, 220 areseated, the fixture 300 is manipulated to couple the protrusions 202,208 with mating fastening mechanisms 306, 308 and to coupled theprotrusions 222 with mating fastening mechanisms 310. The brackets 200,206, 220 are free to be moved and adjusted so that they mate with thealignment fixture 300 in order to insure precise alignment. Next, theouter surface 172 of the inner fender 170 is coated with bonding agentand then placed upside-down on top of the outer fender 152 and brackets200, 206, 220. The inner fender 170 is then pressed against the outerfender 152 through the use of pressure members 312. Heat is then appliedto the rear fender assembly 150 while the rear fender assembly 150 issecured within the fixture 300 in order to more rapidly cure the bondingagent. By forming the rear fender assembly 150 in this manner using theabove-described sandwich construction and bonding agent, the rear fenderassembly 150 is provided with increased structural rigidity at a reducedweight.

In this manner, the bottom surfaces 205, 207 of each upper bracket 200,206 are fixedly connected with the outer surface 172 of the inner fender170, and the top surfaces 201, 203 of each upper bracket 200, 206 arefixedly connected with the inner surface 156 of the outer fender 152.Additionally, the bottom surface 223 of the lower bracket 220 is fixedlyconnected with the outer surface 172 of the inner fender 170, and thetop surface 221 of the lower bracket 220 is fixedly connected with theinner surface 156 of the outer fender 152. Preferably, the brackets 200,206, 220 are bonded to both the outer and inner fenders 152, 170 using abonding agent such as an epoxy. Additionally, the outer fender 152 isfixedly connected, preferably through a bonding agent, to the innerfender 170. Upon forming the rear fender assembly 150, the rear fenderassembly 150 is then mated to the swing arm assembly 110 by connectingthe protrusions 202, 208, 222 with corresponding protrusion 136, 137,139, 140 formed on the swing arm assembly 110, see FIGS. 9 and 10.

In one embodiment, a belt guard assembly 250 is connected with the swingarm assembly 110, as shown in FIG. 10. The belt guard assembly 250covers a portion of a chain or belt 251, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B,in order to prevent the user of the motorcycle 100 and other foreignobjects from coming into contact with the belt 251. Belt 251 connectsthe rear wheel 108 with the body of the motorcycle 100 and transferspower from the engine to the rear wheel 108.

The belt guard assembly 250 includes an upper belt guard 252, a lowerbelt guard 254 attached to the upper belt guard 252 through a connectingmember 256, and a debris deflector 262 attached to the connecting member256, as shown in FIGS. 10-13A, 13B. The upper belt guard 252 includes atop plate 253 having a curved end 259 connected with a side plate 255.The upper belt guard 252 is fastened to the connecting member 256through a pair of fasteners 270, 272 and a linking member 271 which isfastened to both the upper belt guard 252 and the connecting member 256with the fasteners 270, 272. The connecting member 256 is generallyU-shaped and has a curved section 257 joining upper and lower sections274, 275. The connecting member 256 also includes a support member 276which also joins the upper and lower sections 274, 275, as shown in FIG.11.

The lower section 275 of the connecting member 256 is fastened to thelower belt guard 254 using a fastener 280. The upper belt guard 252 andthe upper section 274 of the connecting member 256 form a U-shapedchannel through which the belt 251 travels. Additionally, the lowersection 275 of the connecting member 256 and the lower belt guard 254form an L-shaped channel through which the belt 251 travels. The curvedsection 257 curves around a portion of a rear sprocket 258 to which thebelt 251 is connected. The rear sprocket 258 is connected with the rearwheel 108 of the motorcycle 100. The belt 251 rotates the rear sprocket258, which in turn rotates the rear wheel 108 of the motorcycle 100,causing the motorcycle 100 to move in a forward direction. The beltguard assembly 250 is connected with the swing arm assembly 110 througha fastener 278 which connects the lower belt guard 254 to the sidemember 122, as shown in FIG. 10.

The debris deflector 262 is attached to the support member 276 through apair of fasteners 266, 268. Fasteners 266, 268, 270, 272, 278, 280 maybe any one of a number of fastening devices such as: mechanicalfasteners such as screws, bolts, rivets, and solder; chemical fastenerssuch as epoxy or other types of glue; and by welding. The belt guardassembly 250 and any component within the belt guard assembly 250 may bemanufactured from a metal, such as steel, iron, stainless steel, chrome,nickel, aluminum, titanium, or a compound of metals. The debrisdeflector 262 forms a profile 264 which mirrors or mimics at least aportion of a profile 289 for the rear fender assembly 150 mounted abovethe upper belt guard 252. The profile 289 is a portion of either theleft or right side of the rear fender assembly 150 and preferablyincludes either the left or right side ridge 164, 166.

The debris deflector 262 forms a ridge 265 which lines up with andmimics either the left or right side ridge 164, 166. The debrisdeflector 262 has a width W₁ which is the distance from a first edge 290to a second edge 291 of the debris deflector 262, wherein the first andsecond edges 290, 291 both travel in a direction from the upper beltguard 252 to the lower belt guard 254, and the first edge 290 isadjacent the curved section 257, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. The leftside edge of the outer fender 152 also has a width W₂, as shown in FIG.2. W₁ is between 60 to 100% of W₂. In some constructions, W₁ is between80 to 100% of W₂. The debris deflector 262 includes a top edge 292opposed to a bottom edge 293, as shown in FIG. 12. The top edge 292 ofthe debris deflector 262 abuts the upper section 274 of the connectingmember 256 and the bottom edge 293 of the debris deflector 262 abuts thelower section 275 of the connecting member 256. The top and bottom edges292, 293 are no more than 3 mm from the upper and lower section 274,275, respectively. In this manner, by mimicking at least a portion ofthe profile 289, the debris deflector 262 gives the appearance that theleft side of rear fender assembly 150 continues down through the beltguard assembly 250. In addition, to further accentuate this visualimpression, the debris deflector 262 can match the texture, finish,and/or color of the outer surface 154 of the fender assembly 150 (FIG.14).

As will be appreciated by those of skill in this art, the precedingexamples are provided, not to limit or define the scope of the presentinvention, but to illustrate the nature of the present invention andpossible uses for the teachings of the present invention. These examplesmay be modified in many different ways while still obtaining thebenefits of the teachings of the present invention. While the inventionhas been described and illustrated, this description is by way ofexample only. Additional advantages will occur readily to those skilledin the art, who may make numerous changes without departing from thetrue spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is notlimited to the specific details, representative machines, andillustrated examples in this description. Accordingly, the scope of thisinvention is to be limited only as necessitated by the accompanyingclaims. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forthin the following claims.

1. A rear fender assembly for a vehicle comprising: an outer fenderhaving a generally U-shaped cross section and an inner surface; an innerfender having a generally U-shaped cross section and an outer surfaceconnected with the inner surface of the outer fender, wherein a pair ofstiffening protrusions are formed in the inner fender to protrude fromthe outer surface and define a wire routing path between the innerfender and the outer fender; a bracket having a portion sandwichedbetween the outer fender and the inner fender, the sandwiched portionhaving a first surface bonded to the inner surface of the outer fenderand a second surface bonded to the outer surface of the inner fender;and a protrusion of the bracket extending from the sandwiched portionthrough a first opening defined by the outer fender.
 2. The rear fenderassembly of claim 1, wherein a top edge of both the outer and innerfenders follow an arc of a circle measuring at least 120°.
 3. The rearfender assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer fender forms first andsecond arc-shaped ridges along left and right side edges of the outerfender.
 4. The rear fender assembly of claim 1, wherein the bracket isan upper bracket and the protrusion is an upper protrusion, the rearfender assembly further comprising: a lower bracket having a portionsandwiched between the outer fender and the inner fender, the sandwichedportion of the lower bracket having a first surface bonded to the innersurface of the outer fender and a second surface bonded to the outersurface of the inner fender; and a lower protrusion extending from thesandwiched portion of the lower bracket through a second opening definedby the outer fender.
 5. The rear fender assembly of claim 1, wherein thepair of stiffening protrusions are formed at a central portion of theinner fender.
 6. The rear fender assembly of claim 5, wherein anadditional pair of stiffening protrusions are formed at a lower end ofthe inner fender.
 7. The rear fender assembly of claim 4 wherein theupper protrusion extends in a direction which is between 80° and 100°from a direction which the lower protrusion extends.
 8. The rear fenderassembly of claim 7, wherein the upper protrusion and the lowerprotrusion are adapted to be connected with a swing arm assembly of avehicle.
 9. A rear fender assembly for a vehicle comprising: an outerfender having an inner surface, a first opening being defined in theouter fender; an inner fender having an outer surface connected with theinner surface of the outer fender; a bracket having a portion sandwichedbetween the inner surface of the outer fender and the outer surface ofthe inner fender, the sandwiched portion extending generally along theinner surface of the outer fender and the outer surface of the innerfender in an area adjacent the first opening; and a protrusion whichextends from the sandwiched portion through the first opening.
 10. Therear fender assembly of claim 9, wherein a top edge of both the outerand inner fenders follow an arc of a circle measuring at least 120°. 11.The rear fender assembly of claim 9, wherein the outer fender formsfirst and second arc-shaped ridges along left and right side edges ofthe outer fender.
 12. The rear fender assembly of claim 9, wherein theinner fender forms a first pair of stiffening protrusions at a lower endof the inner fender.
 13. The rear fender assembly of claim 9, whereinthe inner fender forms a second pair of stiffening protrusions at acentral portion of the inner fender.
 14. A vehicle comprising: a framefor supporting a rider and connecting a front wheel assembly with a rearwheel assembly; a swing arm assembly which is movably connected with theframe and fixedly connected with the rear wheel assembly, wherein themovement of the swing arm is damped via a shock absorber; and a rearfender assembly for covering a portion of the rear wheel assembly, therear fender including an outer fender having an inner surface, an innerfender having an outer surface connected with the inner surface of theouter fender, and an upper bracket sandwiched between the inner surfaceof the outer fender and the outer surface of the inner fender, the upperbracket having an outer surface connected with the inner surface of theouter fender, wherein the upper bracket forms an upper protrusion whichextends from the outer surface of the upper bracket through a firstopening defined by the outer fender, and wherein the upper bracket isfixedly connected with the swing arm assembly.